Tests

Re “ Doctors list overused medical procedures ,” Feb. 21 As a physician with almost 40 years experience, I completely concur with the findings. However, there are other issues. First is the expectation of patients. With instant access to the Internet, they come to see the doctor already knowing “what they need.” They want the CT, the X-ray and the antibiotic. No matter how you try to explain the correct medical reasoning, they want what they want. This leads to problem No. 2: That patient complains to the insurance company, the hospital administration and the service contract holder about your poor customer service.

America's Test Kitchen, the outfit that produces books, magazines, television programs and more, all about cooking, has trained its persnickety palate on gluten-free food. "We were really surprised how hard this was," says Jack Bishop, America's Test Kitchen editorial director. "We thought we would just figure out which flour to plug into existing recipes. " Not even close, as it turned out. Eight people spent almost a year in the kitchen near Boston working on the recent "The How Can It Be Gluten Free Cookbook.

Wal-Mart Stores Inc has begun testing an online grocery delivery service in San Jose, California. The world's biggest retailer had been rumored to be considering dipping its toe into online grocery delivery for the past few years. The "Walmart To Go" test allows customers to visit Walmart.com to order groceries and consumables found in a Walmart store and have them delivered to their homes, the spokesman said. Products include fresh produce, meat and seafood, frozen, bakery, baby, over-the-counter pharmacy, household supplies and health and beauty items.

Three months ago, when Apple reported its holiday earnings, the company posted record revenues thanks to refreshed lines of iPads and iPhones that had launched in the fall. But instead of basking in a big win, Apple got pounded by Wall Street because of what the company said would happen in this current quarter. Apple projected a range of revenue expectations that raised the possibility of its first revenue decline in more than a decade. Apple is scheduled to report second-quarter earnings after the markets close Wednesday, and most analysts think the company will actually squeak out a slight revenue gain.

Re "School policymakers face a test of their own," March 4 The controversy over the use of standardized tests for evaluation purposes is the result of the assumption that those tests currently in widespread use are capable of differentiating between effective and ineffective teachers. Contrary to popular belief, there is no evidence to support the belief that valid inferences can be made in this regard. That's why educators are so strongly opposed, not because they want to avoid accountability.

A McKinley Elementary teacher has been placed on administrative leave after a third-grade student reported that the teacher helped a class answer questions on state standardized tests this week. Burbank Unified Supt. Jan Britz, who made the announcement during Thursday's school board meeting, added that state officials are investigating the case. Still uncertain of the alleged infraction's full consequences, Britz said state officials could mark the test scores as invalid and potentially strip McKinley of its Academic Performance Index, or API, score, later this year.

For those of you who believe there is such a thing as "earthquake weather," weather is a surface event. Earthquakes originate from miles underground. There is no correlation between earthquakes and weather. DENNIS CHAMBERLAIN Upland

What makes old violins crafted by members of the Stradivari family so much better than violins produced today? Nothing, according to a new study in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. In a musical version of the classic Coke versus Pepsi taste tests, scientists teamed up with experts who make, play and sell violins to see whether there's any substance to the widespread belief that old violins are superior to newer models. Just as with soda, the researchers discovered that highly accomplished violin soloists couldn't tell the difference between old and new instruments.

A lot of us find our way to the doctor with strange aches and pains that are very, very unlikely to be caused by serious illness -- headaches, back pains or stomach troubles, to name a few. To be on the safe side, physicians will often order tests to rule out the scary stuff and, the thinking goes, provide reassurance. But a recent examination of 14 randomized, controlled trials found that ordering diagnostic tests for people who have a low...

"The Inborn Talent Genetic Test" promises to help parents identify their children's "hidden talents that may not be obvious at young age … it also reveals some personality traits that the child may possess, judging from his/her genetic make-up." Ever wonder if the marketing for DNA tests is getting a little out of hand? (Uh ... is the publishing industry threatened by the Internet?) Go to The Stuff of Life blog for examples of some iffy-sounding services. One of them is "The Inborn Talent Genetic Test," which "reveals the inherited and endowed inborn talents of a child scientifically from the genetic makeup of his/her DNA. The test result will therefore help parents identify their children's hidden talents that may not be obvious at young age … it also reveals some personality traits that the child may possess, judging from his/her genetic make-up."

Two drugs given to people who suffer migraines reduced the frequency of their headaches in early trials, scientists said. The test results “may potentially represent a new era in preventive therapy for migraine,” Dr. Peter Goadsby, an author on studies of both drugs, said in a statement. One of the researchers called migraine headaches the third most common medical disorder in the world. Both drugs must undergo larger trials to confirm the results. Both drugs are intended to prevent rather than treat migraine headaches, and the studies of them are the first to test monoclonal antibodies for migraine prevention, the scientists said.

Defense attorneys for James E. Holmes, charged in the shooting rampage in an Aurora, Colo., movie theater that left 12 dead and dozens wounded, will appeal a court order requiring him to undergo a second evaluation of his sanity. His lawyers gave notice that they would appeal in a Tuesday court filing in the case before Arapahoe County District Judge Carlos A. Samour Jr. The filing was released Wednesday . Holmes underwent a mandatory sanity evaluation last year, but Samour ruled that it was inadequate and ordered a second round of testing.

Authorities said they were running toxicology tests on a 24-year-old woman who died of a possible overdose after being stricken at the Coachella festival . Results of the tests will be available in about four weeks and coroner's officials will then finalize the autopsy. The woman, identified as Kimchi Truong of Oakland, died Thursday, four days after possibly suffering a drug or alcohol overdose at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival in Indio, the Riverside County sheriff-coroner said Friday.

A world away from the bright lights and frantic rush of the current New York Auto Show, Jeep is using a very different venue to show off its latest concept vehicles. And it's getting them dirty too. Jeep used the recent Easter Jeep Safari in Moab, Utah, to unveil six new concepts to the public. The collection was made up of three lifted, painted and modified Wranglers, two new Cherokees looking to flex their off-road muscle, and a diesel Grand Cherokee. The six prototypes had bolted to them a huge variety of custom parts that Jeep -- and its Mopar aftermarket group -- are considering for production.

Nearly a decade ago, lawmakers in Los Angeles took an aggressive step to boost the city's languishing Convention Center, granting tens of millions of dollars in tax breaks to spark construction of a 54-story hotel nearby. The strategy worked, bringing 1,000 new rooms to the sleepy neighborhood. Within a few years, hotel developers in the area had secured as much as $508 million in tax benefits over the coming decades. But as downtown continues to boom, some inside and outside City Hall say Los Angeles should be much more selective in giving out tax breaks to lure new hotels.

SACRAMENTO - Raising the stakes in his campaign to strengthen California's finances, Gov. Jerry Brown on Wednesday called a special session of the state Legislature for next week to consider a new plan to save money and pay off state debt, an election-year pitch that he must make to lawmakers without the benefit of a Democratic supermajority. Brown's proposal is aimed at cushioning the state against recessions and calming its turbulent fiscal waters. It would require Sacramento to capture spikes in revenue and either save the money to prevent budget cuts during a downturn or pay off debt and cover long-term liabilities such as public pensions.

An undisclosed number of FBI agents have cheated on tests on how to legally conduct domestic surveillance cases, FBI Director Robert S. Mueller acknowledged Wednesday, but he added that he is waiting for the results of an inspector general's investigation to determine how widespread the cheating has become. "I've got a general idea. But I do not know how many" have cheated, he said in testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee. "And I'm not sure the IG knows how many either."

Manny Ramirez made his triumphant return to Dodger Stadium two weeks ago, with fans packing the Mannywood seats to welcome back the team's most popular player from his 50-game suspension for violating baseball's drug policy. The Mannywood section will remain open, even after Ramirez on Thursday was linked again to the use of performance-enhancing substances.

"America's Test Kitchen " has trained its persnickety palate on gluten-free food. “We were really surprised how hard this was,” says Jack Bishop, "America's Test Kitchen" editorial director. “We thought we would just figure out which flour to plug into existing recipes.” Not even close, as it turned out. Eight people spent almost a year in the kitchen working on “The How Can It Be Gluten Free Cookbook.” Perfecting biscuits, chocolate chip cookies, muffins, sandwich bread and pizza “was an insane amount of work,” Bishop says.

A story line has developed during Mayor Eric Garcetti's first nine months on the job, and it goes something like this: In stark contrast to his predecessor, Antonio Villaraigosa, who often held multiple news conferences a day and launched big initiatives, Garcetti has taken such a low-profile, behind-the-scenes approach that people wonder what he'll have to show for his first year in office. Though Garcetti hasn't avoided the limelight - he was on stage last week with former President Clinton, for instance - he often goes days without a public event, and he hasn't yet proposed a major program or policy change.